From Rivals, to Friends, to Something More Part II
by KuroiOokami89
Summary: It's been 3 years since TenTen left Konoha. What will her return bring? And what about Sasuke's infiltration mission? Danger is looming on the horizon and the new generation of shinobi are going to experience war for the first time. NejiTen Part 2 of 2
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone and welcome to **_**From Rivals, to Friends, to Something More Part II**_**! I'm so excited to get started on this, and I hope you all will like it. Here's Chapter 1. Enjoy!**

_**Disclaimer:**__ Naruto and all related characters are the property of Kishimoto Masashi-sama. No copyright infringement is intended and no profit is made from this fic._

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Neji was on his way back to Konohagakure no Sato from another A-ranked mission. It wasn't anything too hard for someone of his caliber, but it was a pain for the Hyuuga prodigy since it wasn't challenging enough. He'd hoped reaching Jounin would be more stimulating.

That's right; Hyuuga Neji had reached Jounin status. Throughout the past three years, Neji had done nothing but train hard at the Hyuuga Compound with his uncle and cousin. He wanted to become much stronger than before, and on top of that, he had a promise to keep to a certain kunoichi.

'_You better become strong you bastard._'

Neji let a small smile come to his face as TenTen's voice echoed through his head. It's been three years since she left the village with Jiraiya and Naruto, and she remained on his mind the entire time. Every time he went to sleep, his mind always played the last night he and TenTen spent together. It was definitely a pleasant way to dream, but he really wanted to see the brunette again. He counted the days until her return.

Suddenly, Neji felt a flare of chakra. The Hyuuga prodigy activated his Byakugan and scanned the surrounding area. There was a fight far from his current position, about 500 meters or more northeast. It made the Hyuuga prodigy thankful that he increased the vision of his Byakugan; instead of the usual 50 meter radius granted, he pushed his limits to nearly 1000 meters. Focusing in the direction of the fight, Neji saw that about five Oto nin were surrounding a cloaked woman. What was the Sound doing in Fire Country, and what did they want with that woman? The Jounin decided to go find out for himself. Putting extra chakra into his feet, Neji sped off northeast toward the fight.

"You're one of Konoha's dogs aren't you?" taunted a Sound nin to the woman.

Full pink lips curved in a smirk as she took in the people surrounding her. All she wanted to do was have a nice walk through the forest, but a fight was fine with her too. She rolled her eyes as she assessed their strength, an action hidden by the hood of the maroon cloak she wore.

"Does it really take an entire recon platoon to take on a woman?" asked the woman with an eerily calm voice. "And Otogakure has the nerve to say they're 'strong'."

As the enraged Sound ninja pounced to attack the woman, the unseen smirk on her face widened. Before any of them could land a hit, the woman disappeared. They all looked around in surprise, but couldn't find any trace of maroon.

"Ugh!"

The other four of the group turned toward the sound to see a kunai embedded the fifth member's chest. He fell to the ground, dead. Eyes widening fearfully, the four Oto nin remaining formed a circle to find any sign of the woman.

Neji was in the trees, his chakra suppressed to the point it was near nonexistent. He saw what happened to the first of the Sound nin, and was surprised with the woman's speed. Even now, he couldn't really tell where she was. His eyes widened as he saw the woman standing in the middle of the remaining four's circle. None of the enemy nin seemed to sense her, and she struck quickly and mercilessly. The four bodies fell to the ground with a dull thud at the same time.

"Did you enjoy the show?" came a whispered voice from behind Neji.

The Hyuuga prodigy stiffened in surprise as he recognized the voice of the woman he was just watching. He didn't even see her move from the middle of the clearing! The point of a kunai was pressed lightly into his blind spot.

"Are you friend or foe?" questioned Neji in return.

"Depends on your intentions," said the woman.

"Otogakure is an enemy," said Neji. "They were in Konoha territory, so I wanted to know their purpose, and possibly assist you if you needed it."

A breathy chuckle hit Neji's ear and made him want to shiver.

"Help me?" asked the woman with amusement. "I'm far from the 'damsel-in-distress' kind of woman."

The kunai pointed at his vertebrae was removed, and he felt the woman move away from him. Neji turned quickly to try and get a glimpse of her, but she was gone.

"I'm sure we'll meet again Hyuuga-san," came the woman's voice.

Neji was alone in the clearing. Taking note of the day's current events, the Hyuuga prodigy made his way back to Konoha to report to the Hokage.

Tsunade was in her office trying to stave off an oncoming headache. Her honey colored eyes glared darkly at the two men in the room, and she was ready to break something. The Godaime Hokage's eyes shifted from the blond fidgeting nervously in his seat to the white haired man giggling perversely at something in his notepad.

"What do you mean she went to the Sound?" asked Tsunade through gritted teeth.

"W-Well, after she made Jounin, we didn't see much of her," said Naruto nervously. "We got word from her a few months ago saying she was heading to Otogakure."

Tsunade's hand slammed on her desk, the wood creaking dangerously beneath it. What was with the younger generation of shinobi? Did they all think they were invincible?

"And you haven't heard from her since?" questioned Tsunade.

"N-No, Tsunade-baa-chan," replied Naruto.

The blonde woman glared at the aspiring Hokage with fire in her eyes.

"What did I tell you about calling me old?" hissed Tsunade.

"Must be that time of the month," muttered Jiraiya.

Tsunade's head snapped to his direction, her desk in one hand ready to be thrown at the Toad Sage.

"Ah, so this is why you're chakra is flaring," said a voice from the door. "Figures Jiraiya-sama would say or do something stupid."

The three occupants in the room turned to see a woman wearing a maroon cloak standing there. Tsunade and Naruto looked at her in question, while Jiraiya openly ogled her, drool starting to drip from his mouth.

"Would you like to be my research subject for my newest novel?" asked Jiraiya as blood began to trickle from his nose. He giggled once again as naughty images went through his mind.

The cloak wearing woman stepped further into the room toward Naruto, completely ignoring the white haired Sannin. The blond shinobi was slightly unnerved and began to sweat a little. A tan hand with a black fingerless glove on it reached out toward him, and it took all of Naruto's nerve to not scream. He closed his eyes, bracing himself for some type of pain. Blue eyes opened in surprise when he felt the hand on top of his head, ruffling his hair.

"I-Is that really you?" asked Naruto with surprise and hopefulness.

"It's been a long time Naruto, Hokage-sama," said the woman and bowed deeply to the village leader.

Neji had just arrived at the village gates to see Kotetsu and Izumo talking to each other quite enthusiastically. Weren't the two of them supposed to be on the lookout for anyone suspicious? He approached the booth that the two sat in with a quirked brow.

"Aren't you two supposed to be on watch?" asked Neji.

Kotetsu and Izumo looked at Neji with wide eyes. The one thought that came to them was '_At least it's not Tsunade-sama._'

"There was this weird woman wearing a cloak that came a while ago," said Kotetsu.

"We questioned her, and all she did was give a creepy smile and said she was going to see the Hokage," said Izumo.

"Well, she said it while brandishing a couple of kunai, but that's beside the point," said Kotetsu. "She's obviously one of ours if the band on her left arm is anything to go by."

"We just can't remember ever seeing anyone like her," said Izumo.

Neji listened to them ramble, but the remembered what Kotetsu said. A cloak?

"Was she wearing a maroon cloak?" asked Neji.

"Yeah!" exclaimed Izumo. "How'd you know?"

"Never mind, I have to go see the Hokage," said Neji, and quickly made his way to Hokage Tower.

The Hyuuga prodigy was waiting patiently for his turn to see the Hokage and give his mission report. As he waited, his mind went back to the woman he ran into on his way back to the village. Who was she? Evidently, she was a Konoha kunoichi, but no one knew her identity. Her prowess amazed him, and his mind went back to their conversation. He let a small shiver run down his spine as he remembered the woman's warm breath fanning across his ear. She felt so familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on what about her gave him that feeling.

"Hokage-sama will see you now," said an ANBU with an eagle mask.

Neji nodded to the ANBU and went to Tsunade's office.

"Ah, Neji, you're back a little early," said Tsunade.

"The mission was easier than initially thought," said Neji.

"Report," said Tsunade in a professional tone.

Neji gave his report of the so-called "A-rank" mission. He went through the details with apparent boredom, but made sure to spare no detail.

"Anything else?" asked Tsunade.

Neji failed to miss the mischievous flash of the Hokage's eyes.

"I ran into a cloaked woman on my way back," said Neji. "She was surrounded by a few Sound nin who came into the country. She handled herself impeccably."

"What were the Sound doing in Fire Country?" asked Tsunade.

"The woman said that the group was here for recon," replied Neji.

"So Orochimaru is probably getting ready to make a move soon," said Tsunade.

"Any word from Uchiha Sasuke?" asked Neji.

The Hyuuga prodigy remembered when Tsunade called a meeting with all of the shinobi in the village not long after Naruto, Jiraiya, and TenTen left. The Godaime informed them of Uchiha Sasuke's reasons for leaving with the Sound, and it made Neji's blood boil. He almost lost his life for _nothing_? It made him want to kill the last Uchiha all the more. He had to admit that it was a good idea since it was helping them eliminate a threat to their home. Neji just wished he knew about it sooner. Preferably before he had to fight a six-armed freak.

"None as of yet," said Tsunade. "Just remember that he'll send word before Orochimaru gets ready to make a move."

"Hai," said Neji. "If that's all Hokage-sama?"

"Yes, that's all," said Tsunade. "Oh, and tell your cousin Hinata to go to Ichiraku's in an hour."

"So Naruto's back then?" asked Neji.

"Yes, he and Jiraiya arrived over an hour ago," said Tsunade.

"What about TenTen?" asked Neji before he could stop himself.

"I'm afraid I haven't heard from her," said Tsunade.

Once again, Neji missed the mischief shining in the Hokage's eyes.

"I'm sure you'll run into her before I do," said Tsunade.

Neji nodded absently, then dismissed himself. As he walked through the village toward the Hyuuga Compound, he thought about TenTen. Where was she? And what was taking her so long to get back? The Hyuuga prodigy decided he was going to kill Naruto and Jiraiya. Weren't they supposed to keep an eye on her?

"Hello Neji-nii-san," greeted Hinata as Neji approached her in the dojo.

"Hinata," greeted Neji back with a nod. "You have to go to Ichiraku's in less than an hour. Someone will be waiting for you there."

"Is it Kiba again?" asked Hinata with a sigh.

"You'll see when you get there," replied Neji with a smirk.

The Hyuuga prodigy was proud of his cousin for coming out of her shell. A little over a year after Naruto left, Hinata dropped her stutter. Her confidence began to increase as she gained the approval of Hiashi for her variation of their Jyuuken fighting style. The Hyuuga heiress let her midnight blue hair grow, and it stopped at the middle of her back. She no longer wore the baggy khaki coat she wore as a Genin; she now wore a fishnet shirt and navy Capri pants, and kept her hitai-ate around her neck as always. His cousin had blossomed into a beautiful young woman as well as a formidable Chuunin. He wondered if she'd fall back into old habits once she saw Naruto again.

"You're mean nii-san!" said Hinata with a slight pout.

Neji shrugged. "It's a surprise I'm sure you'll like."

With that, he began to leave so Hinata could finish her training.

"Wait Neji-nii-san!" exclaimed Hinata.

The brunet turned to his cousin.

"Do you remember where you and TenTen trained?" asked Hinata.

"Of course," replied Neji. How could he forget?

"Well, Gai-san and Lee-san wanted me to tell you to meet them there," said Hinata.

"When?" asked Neji with a quirked brow.

"Now preferably," said Hinata.

Neji nodded to his cousin, and left the compound to meet with the rest of Team Gai. Even though he and Lee were no longer Genin, the trio still got sent on missions together on occasion under the name "Team Gai". What did those two want with him?

When he reached the training grounds, he saw that the two Green Beasts of Konoha weren't there. That immediately raised a red flag in Neji's mind. Those two were _never_ late. As he scanned the clearing, he saw a flash of maroon hanging from a branch.

"What are you doing here?" asked Neji.

"I can ask you the same thing Hyuuga-san," replied the woman.

She jumped down from her perch and stood with her arms crossed. Neji really wanted to rip the hood from her head.

"I'm here to meet my former teammates," said Neji.

"Funny, so am I," replied the woman.

"Who are you?" asked Neji.

"You should give your name first before asking for someone else's," chided the woman lightly.

The Hyuuga prodigy was about to glare at the woman, but knew that wouldn't get him anywhere. Deciding to play her little game, Neji replied.

"Hyuuga Neji," he said.

"Neji?" asked the woman with surprise.

"That's what I said," said Neji smartly.

"Still a bastard after three years huh?" replied the woman.

That's when Neji's eyes widened in surprise. Could it really be?

"TenTen?" asked Neji with no small amount of surprise in his voice.

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**Okay, I know that it was pretty obvious that TenTen was the cloaked woman, but I still found it fun to write it as a mystery for Neji LOL. So what do you all think of the first chapter? Please drop a review with your thoughts if you can. TenTen will be very strong in this half of the story, so I hope that no one minds. Anyhoo, I'll try to update again as soon as I can. See you next update!**

**KuroiOokami89**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey peoples! The response I've been getting so far is awesome, and I hope I can continue entertaining you all. Here's Chapter 2. Enjoy!**

_**Disclaimer:**__Naruto and all related characters are the property of Kishimoto Masashi-sama. No copyright infringement is intended and no profit is made from this fic._

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The two people in the clearing just stood before each other silently. Neji couldn't see TenTen's face clearly to know what she was thinking or what her reaction to seeing him again was.

If only he knew…

TenTen was grateful for the hood on her head. It hid her face well, and she didn't want Neji to see the blush that was dusting her cheeks. She also didn't want him to see her staring shamelessly. She couldn't help it!

Neji had definitely come into his own in the last three years. While Neji was definitely handsome back when they were 14 (and even before then), he took the word to a whole new level now in her eyes. '_Looking like that should be illegal._' The Hyuuga prodigy's hair had grown even longer, and he kept it in the same style he did when they were Genin. The only difference was that he allowed the shorter pieces of hair to frame his elegant face. His ivory eyes still held the coldness she always saw, but it seemed more subdued now. A straight, perfect nose and slightly pale lips completed his face. His creamy pale skin was flawless just as she remembered. Then she looked at the Hyuuga prodigy's clothing.

Gone were the khaki vest and navy shorts, and in their place were the traditional Hyuuga style robes she'd seen other members of the clan wear during her visit to the Compound. She liked this new look on Neji; it made him look regal in a way. However, as she continued to stare at her best friend, she got the feeling that something about Neji was different. He… changed somehow. Looking back at his face, she realized what it was. The brunet before her no longer wore an expression of cold contempt. His expression was more calm, confident, and mature.

"Is that really you TenTen?" asked Neji once again.

Oh, that voice. That sinfully delightful voice. How could his voice have gotten any more attractive? '_That should be illegal too._' Neji's voice was a slightly deeper baritone than she remembered, and it was like velvet to her ears. The brunette just continued staring at the Hyuuga prodigy. He was definitely not a boy anymore, but a young man. A proud, tall, strong, _incredibly sexy_ young man.

Neji looked at the person before him with a calculating gaze. If this was TenTen, why was she taking so long to respond? He couldn't tell what the woman hidden beneath the maroon hood was doing or thinking, but he wanted an answer. And he wanted one _now_. As if she'd heard his inner thoughts, the woman before him took off the cloak that covered her. Familiar chocolate brown eyes stared into his, causing them to widen. It definitely was TenTen, but different from the one his mind's eye always brought up.

The brunette had gotten slightly taller, but Neji could tell that she was still shorter than him. The short brown bangs from three years ago had grown and framed her oval shaped face rather nicely. The twin buns atop her head were replaced by twin braids flowing down her back and stopping near her waist. Wide, innocent eyes were now battle-hardened and sharp. A cute button nose and full pink lips that were smirking at him completed her face.

TenTen's ensemble had changed as well. She no longer wore the usual pink and green garbs as she had during their Genin years. The brunette now wore a sleeveless white qipao-styled top with maroon trimming, and snug maroon Capri pants. Black ninja sandals adorned her feet, black fingerless gloves graced her hands, and a black band with a metal plate representing her village was tight around her left bicep. A large black scroll, reminiscent of Jiraiya's, was on her back. Her body was toned, but still held a feminine beauty about it. Her slight hourglass frame fit her perfectly, and Neji had to fight down a blush as he realized he was _staring_. TenTen was no longer the tomboy he knew from their Genin days, but a beautiful and deadly young woman. He approved of this change greatly.

"It's been a long time, hasn't it Neji?" replied TenTen with a slight smile.

The Hyuuga prodigy wasn't sure if it was just him, but the brunette's voice sounded like one of a seductress. He had to repress another shiver as his mind went back to their little conversation in the forest before their arrival in the village. Her voice surrounded him in something he couldn't name, but welcomed wholly. '_Her looking and sounding like that should be against the law._'

"What was with the cloak?" asked Neji.

That question kept niggling the back of his mind. As he looked back at it, he noticed that the back of it was facing up. In bold letters read "Konoha's Weapons Mistress". '_So she finally took the title_,' he thought with pride.

"Well, I needed to be inconspicuous when I went to Otogakure," replied TenTen.

"You went there alone?" asked Neji incredulously. "How did no one not know you were from Konoha with that cloak?"

"My title only shows on the back of the cloak when I put a little chakra into it," replied TenTen.

He looked back at the cloak, and surely enough, the bold letters were fading away.

"And I went there because I wanted to see if Sasuke had anything new on Orochimaru," said TenTen.

Neji felt a rush of possessiveness course through his body. He'd nearly forgotten how close the Uchiha and his TenTen had become before Sasuke left to Sound. He let it go... for now.

"You weren't in their territory anymore when I saw you," said Neji. "So why'd you keep it on?"

TenTen smiled sheepishly.

"Well, I wanted to try the whole 'dark, mysterious, badass anti-hero' persona," said TenTen.

Neji almost laughed. _Almost_.

"And how did that work for you?" asked Neji with amusement in his eyes.

"Eh, I don't really see what all of the hype is about," said TenTen. Then she smirked. "It's probably something only you or Sasuke could pull off... hell, Gaara might be able to as well, you stoic bastards. Besides, I'm still pretty badass regardless."

Neji actually let out a chuckle this time. It did funny things to TenTen's insides, but she did her best to ignore it.

"Could you imagine me being stoic and acting mysterious all the time?" asked TenTen as she began to laugh. "I'd probably die of boredom."

Neji just shook his head. His best friend was still the same; it made him feel content.

"So, how was training with Hiashi-sama?" asked TenTen after controlling herself.

"It went well enough," said Neji. "What about your training with Jiraiya-sama?"

"Well, I never really trained _with _him per se," said TenTen. "But I'm satisfied with the results. What did you learn with Hiashi?"

"You'll see when we spar," said Neji with a smirk.

"I see you haven't forgotten our promise," said TenTen with a smirk of her own. "Good."

The two began to slide into their respective fighting positions, a hard look in their eyes as they looked at each other. They were about to charge at each other when…

"NEJI, MY ETERNAL RIVAL, HERE YOU ARE!"

Couldn't those two have at least waited until they were done? Or at least begun?

The two Green Beasts of Konoha, Maito Gai and Rock Lee, appeared in the clearing. The unitard clad duo were smiling brightly at Neji, who was glaring at them in return. TenTen was completely ignored by the two new arrivals. She shrugged; not like people immediately recognized her anymore anyway.

"TSUNADE-SAMA SAID WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO FIND YOU HERE!" said Gai.

"ARE YOU READY TO SPAR NEJI?" asked Lee as he got into his taijutsu stance.

"I was, until you two interrupted," said Neji coldly.

Lee and Gai turned to see a woman standing there. The bushy-browed duo turned back to Neji, both wearing sly smiles.

"THE FIRES OF YOUTH BURN BRIGHTLY WITHIN YOU NEJI!" said Gai. "REMEMBER TO USE PROTECTION AND-"

Neji immediately clamped a hand over Gai's mouth glared daggers at the man. Why was his former sensei so weird?

"I'm hurt that neither of you have greeted me," said TenTen with mock sadness. "Is that how the two taijutsu specialists of Konoha treat a teammate?"

Gai's and Lee's heads immediately snapped back to TenTen's direction. Their eyes were wide as they took in her appearance.

"T-TenTen?" asked Lee with awe.

"Hey guys," said TenTen. "Long time no see, ne?"

The spandex wearing shinobi immediately went to the weapons mistress and nearly suffocated her to death. It seemed their enthusiasm hadn't dwindled through the years.

"TENTEN OUR YOUTHFUL BLOSSOM! HOW WAS YOUR TRAINING?" asked Lee energetically.

"WE MUST SEE WHAT YOU'VE LEARNED!" said Gai.

"Well, Neji and I were getting ready to spar," said TenTen uneasily as she tried to breathe regularly again.

The two eagerly left TenTen's side and stood beneath the shady trees to give the other two members of Team Gai the space they needed. TenTen turned back to Neji with a shrug.

"I guess some things never change," she said with a giggle.

"Ready?" asked Neji as he slid into his Jyuuken stance.

"Yeah- wait I almost forgot," said TenTen as she stood from her stance. "I'm not gonna need this."

The brunette removed the clasps that held the large scroll to her back. Holding it in one arm, she tossed it behind her toward the trees. The scroll managed to knock a tree over and make a large crashing sound as it landed.

"Oops," said TenTen sheepishly with a light blush.

"How much does that thing weigh?" asked Neji curiously.

"Well…" began TenTen as she scratched the back of her head. "I don't remember."

Neji almost fell over, but kept himself from doing so. What kind of training did TenTen do during her absence?

"Ready?" asked Neji once again.

"Ready," replied TenTen.

With that, the spar began. TenTen began running while wielding a few senbon and Neji took a defensive stance with his Byakugan active. She threw the needles at Neji, and the Hyuuga prodigy dodged them. His movements were still as fluid and graceful as she remembered. TenTen tried to use the distraction to catch Neji with a punch, but Neji immediately blocked the incoming fist. The weapons mistress then attempted a kick, but Neji raised a leg to block it as well. The brunets kept trying to hit each other, but weren't successful. They broke apart from each other and TenTen smiled.

"This is fun," said TenTen.

Neji nodded in agreement, but something was bugging him. TenTen _never _offensively used taijutsu against him. She only ever used it when Neji managed to get within attacking range, and that was to defend herself. The weapons mistress was never confident in her taijutsu skill. What changed?

The Hyuuga prodigy didn't have time to delve into deeper thinking. TenTen was approaching him again, ready to start another taijutsu duel. Getting back into a defensive stance, he was surprised when TenTen jumped. The kunoichi had two small scrolls in her hand, and Neji smirked. Didn't she remember that he had a defense for that now? Projectiles began to rain down upon Neji, and he immediately used his Kaiten to deflect them.

TenTen landed not far from where Neji was. As she studied Neji's Kaiten, she checked her supplies. She still had plenty of weapons and scrolls left for this fight, and she was trying to think of the best way to surprise Neji with what she developed. Her brown eyes saw that Neji was slowing down, and she immediately began to run toward the glowing dome of chakra. Once he fully stopped, TenTen began to throw barrages of punches and kicks. Neji managed to dodge or block all of them with a smirk on his face.

"Are you done warming up TenTen?" asked Neji.

"So you knew?" asked TenTen as they broke apart again.

"I did see what you did with those Sound nin," stated Neji.

"Oh… right," said TenTen. She completely forgot about that.

Smiling at her best friend, TenTen's stance changed slightly.

"Are you sure?" asked TenTen.

"I don't expect you to hold anything back," said Neji.

"Fine," said TenTen.

Suddenly, she disappeared much like she did in the forests outside of Konoha. Neji used his Byakugan to try and find her. He only saw flickers of her chakra system in different places. Even though it frustrated him that he couldn't exactly pinpoint her location, he smirked. This was going to be a good challenge. Suddenly, the wind was knocked out of him as he stumbled back. TenTen was in front of him with her arm extended, a smirk of victory on her face. She tried to capitalize on this opportunity, and began to deliver a flurry of punches and kicks. Neji dodged and blocked the attacks, looking for the chance to launch his own offensive. When the opportunity finally presented itself, Neji began to launch his own flurry of attacks.

To say the Hyuuga prodigy was surprised that TenTen was dodging the attacks fluidly would be an understatement. Her flexibility had improved a lot, and her movements as he dodged reminded him of Hinata. He continued in the same pattern of attacks to try and make the kunoichi think his offensive was repetitive and obvious.

'_Come on Neji, I know you're better than this_,' thought TenTen as she dodged more attacks. She knew he had to have something up his sleeve. Before she could figure it out, she felt her feet fly from underneath her and landed on the ground with a thud. Well, she certainly didn't see that leg sweep coming. '_Well played Neji_,' she thought with a smile.

"Hakke Kuushou!"

TenTen looked up just in time to see a barely visible wave of chakra hurtling toward her. She managed to dodge, and saw a crater in the spot she had just occupied. TenTen stood once again and tightened the gloves on her hands. Neji stood before her in his stance once again, his eyes and posture serious. The weapons mistress knew she had to really get serious if she even wanted to stand a chance.

TenTen crouched toward the ground. With a shout, she slapped her open palm at the ground. A fissure appeared in the ground and was moving quickly toward Neji. Neji's eyes widened as the ground began to collapse beneath him, and he quickly jumped out of the way. '_When did she learn that?_' thought Neji.

Using his surprise to her advantage, TenTen began to launch an offensive against the Hyuuga prodigy once again. She managed to get a solid blow against his ribs, and Neji stumbled back. After regaining his breath, he smirked at his best friend again.

"You're just full of surprises aren't you?" asked Neji sarcastically.

"You're not the one who almost got a blast of chakra to the face," retorted TenTen. "Serves you right."

Sliding back into their fighting stances, the fight began once more. Neji was trying to find a way to win without having to seal TenTen's tenketsu. Ever since the Forest of Death incident, Neji did everything he could to make sure he only ever attacked enemies with actual Jyuuken strikes.

"Don't hold your Jyuuken attacks back Neji," said TenTen as if she read his thoughts. "We're supposed to be going all out remember? Besides, we can always go to your clan's compound to fix me."

Well, if he had her blessing, who was he to deny?

TenTen saw Neji's eyes gleam with something different. Bringing her attention back to the task at hand, she and Neji rushed at each other. Flurries of punches and kicks came from both sides, and TenTen made sure to keep most of her attention on dodging now. Jyuuken was dangerous after all. One of Neji's blows nicked her side, and she jumped away from the Hyuuga prodigy. '_Damn, that stings_,' thought TenTen as she held her right side.

"I almost forgot how potent your attacks are even if they just graze your opponent," said TenTen. "Time for a new game plan."

The weapons mistress took out two more scrolls, but Neji couldn't recognize them. Jumping into the air, TenTen began summoning weapons. Neji changed his stance to prepare a Kaiten as he awaited the incoming attack. TenTen threw enough of the weapons to make Neji start his Kaiten, and studied the attack once again. After she saw how much chakra Neji put into the attack, the brunette summoned some of her special weapons. '_These better work. I put way too much work into them for it to be for nothing._'

After putting a small amount of her chakra into the specially made kunai she held, she threw it with blinding speed. She saw that it managed to pierce the dome slightly and smirked. Gathering more of the kunai and putting more chakra into them than she did the first one, TenTen threw them at the Kaiten.

Neji was spinning quite rapidly inside of the chakra dome. He noticed one of the kunai managed to penetrate his attack, but he thought it was just his imagination. Suddenly, a few kunai flew by him inside of his defense. Stopping quickly, Neji dodged the rest of the barrage before it could hit him. Looking back at the kunoichi, he saw she had an air of satisfaction about her.

"You like?" asked TenTen as she twirled one of the kunai. "I made them myself. It wasn't easy, but definitely worth the time and effort."

The brunets rushed at each other again, and began to attack each other once again. TenTen managed to get some good hits against Neji, and the Hyuuga prodigy managed to close tenketsu in her shoulder. The pain of the sealed tenketsu made TenTen tackle Neji angrily. They tussled on the ground for a bit, but Neji wound up on top of the kunoichi. The brunets' minds instantly brought up the last time they ended up in this position. Both were breathing heavily and looking into each other's eyes. Neji pinned the weapon mistress's hands above her head, and their noses were brushing each other. If they moved just a little...

"ALRIGHT, ENOUGH!" announced Gai, completely snapping them out of their little trance. "THAT WAS WONDERFUL! THE POWER OF YOUTH SHINES BRIGHTLY IN BOTH OF YOU!"

Neji and TenTen blushed as they both got up and tried to regain their composure. How could they have forgotten about their two spectators?

"GAI-SENSEI!"

"LEE!"

"GAI-SENSEI!"

"LEE!"

"GAI-SENSEI!"

"Uh, yeah… we're gonna go now," said TenTen, immediately knowing where that was heading. "See you guys later."

Gai and Lee ignored her as the two of them continued yelling and hugging each other. Rolling her eyes, TenTen began walking while holding her left shoulder. Jyuuken attacks really hurt. She picked up her large scroll and, with some difficulty, put it back in its original place.

"Come on," said Neji. "Hinata will be able to heal you."

The two began walking back to the village together. It was fairly silent for a while; neither knew what to say to the other.

"So…" began TenTen awkwardly.

She had a strange feeling of déjà vu.

"You've definitely improved," said Neji. "What made you decide to focus on your taijutsu more?"

"Well, there's only so much you can do as a long-range fighter," said TenTen. "I completely perfected my accuracy and became proficient in many different weapons. There wasn't much left for me to learn as a long-range fighter, so I decided to focus on my short-range fighting too."

Neji nodded. TenTen improving her short-range was a good decision since there were enemies capable of forcing long-range fighters to battle outside of their comfort zone.

"Where did you learn some of the attacks and defenses you did today?" asked Neji. "I don't remember you having the ability to cave the ground in or your flexibility being as good as it is now."

"The chakra enhanced attacks is something I learned from Sakura," said TenTen. "I only use them when it's necessary. I did flexibility exercises with Hinata so my defense could improve."

Neji pinned his friend with a hard look. It made TenTen want to squirm.

"You mean you've been back to Konoha multiple times during your three year absence?" he asked venomously.

"I always made sure to come while you were gone on a mission," said TenTen. "I didn't want to see you while you were training and I didn't want you to see my training methods. I wanted our first spar in three years to be a surprise; knowing what you were capable of before going in would've made it less challenging."

The Hyuuga prodigy supposed she did have a point. He certainly was pleasantly surprised with her progress.

The brunets arrived at the Hyuuga Compound to see Hinata practicing katas outside of the dojo with Hanabi. Hiashi was watching the two of them with something akin to pride in his eyes.

"Hiashi-sama," greeted Neji with a slight bow.

The Hyuuga Clan's leader turned to his nephew. One of his elegant brows quirked as he looked at TenTen.

"Good afternoon Neji," greeted Hiashi. "Who's your friend?"

"TenTen-san!" called Hinata happily. Hiashi's other eyebrow rose with the first one.

"Hey Hina-chan!" greeted TenTen as she raised her left arm to wave. "Ow…"

"Are you okay?" asked Hinata as she approached her father and the two newcomers.

"She needs the tenketsu in her shoulder reopened," answered Neji. "We were sparring before we came here."

"It's been a long time TenTen," said Hiashi as he took in the kunoichi's appearance. "I didn't recognize you."

"Yeah, I get that a lot," replied TenTen.

Hinata sat next to her father and TenTen sat next to her. The Hyuuga heiress activated her Byakugan to see if there was any severe damage. Finding the tenketsu that needed to be opened again, she deactivated her bloodline and looked at TenTen.

"This is going to hurt," said Hinata.

Without any other warning, Hinata delivered a Jyuuken strike to the weapon mistress's shoulder. TenTen winced in pain and moved her shoulder slowly. At least it didn't hurt as much anymore.

"Thanks," said TenTen gratefully. Hinata smiled in return.

"Did you go to Ichiraku's Hinata?" asked Neji.

Hinata's face heated up instantly. Neji smirked and TenTen had to smother her giggles.

"Y-Y-Yes Neji-nii-san," said Hinata timidly as she poked her fingers together. A small smile was on her face.

"Aww Hinata, I thought you were done stuttering," teased TenTen lightly.

"I told you you'd like the surprise," said Neji with a smug expression.

"What about you Neji-nii-san?" piped up Hanabi mischievously. "I'm sure you enjoyed _your_ surprise as well."

Hanabi gave TenTen a quick glance, and Neji felt a blush rising to his cheeks. Hanabi smirked at Neji's reaction. '_Brat_,' thought Neji.

* * *

**I think this is a good place to end. What'd you all think? I hope the NejiTen spar wasn't horrible (I feel rusty with action sequences... don't ask). Next chapter will probably be out sometime next week (hopefully). See you all next update!**

**KuroiOokami89**


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay, I have to apologize for being late with the chapter. I honestly lost my motivation for this fic for some reason and couldn't find it. Damn thing was being stubborn. Anyhoo, I'm back now and I refuse to give up on this story! I still have so many ideas for it. I guess getting them to flow properly was my problem. Anyway, here's Chapter 3. Enjoy.**

_**Disclaimer:**__ Naruto and all related characters are the property of Kishimoto Masashi-sama. No copyright infringement is intended and no profit is made from this fic._

* * *

TenTen inwardly sighed to herself as she thought of her predicament. A few days had passed since her arrival in the village, and she was currently on a mission as a member of Team Gai after three years. Everything seemed to be going rather well for the four-man team, but that all went to hell really quick. The Konoha shinobi had run into the rogue Kirigakure nin they were to pursue, and the weapons mistress couldn't have been happier to see the enemy. She wanted nothing more than to take care of these nukenin.

All of that changed when her, Lee, and Neji were trapped in a water prison by three of the rogue ninja; Gai was getting ready to fight the leader. TenTen hated the fact that she and her teammates had been careless enough to be ensnared by this trap. It didn't help that since she wasn't prepared for it, her oxygen supply was quickly depleting. She looked at Neji and Lee, and she saw that they actually looked fine inside of their respective water prisons. Damn it, why did she have to look weak in front of them? She never felt the urge to kill as strongly as she did now.

Neji was watching the fight between Gai and the leader of the group of rogue Kiri nin. Evidently, his name was Hoshigaki Kisame and he'd fought with Gai at least twice before. However, Gai couldn't remember for the life of him who this guy was. Neji's eye twitched; Gai was such a forgetful man sometimes. As the Hyuuga prodigy looked at his teammates that were imprisoned, he noticed that TenTen appeared to be struggling with air. The kunoichi was trying her hardest not to show that she was beginning to fade, but Neji knew better. Activating his Byakugan, Neji prepared himself to execute Hakke Rokujuu Yonshou. He incapacitated the man holding him captive rather quickly, and hurried to free his teammates. Lee was the first he freed, and the younger version of Gai appeared to be just fine. After freeing TenTen, the brunette collapsed. Neji grabbed her before she could hit the ground and looked at her with worried eyes.

"Are you okay TenTen?" asked Neji.

"Yeah…" said TenTen as she breathed heavily. "Thanks."

The two stared at each other for what seemed to be a long time, but Lee's voice cut through the trance they fell into. They turned their attention to the fight that was occurring between Gai and Kisame. Gai had already opened 5 of the 8 Gates, but Kisame was proving to be quite the handful. As a result, Gai opened the 6th Gate and used Asa Kujaku. The barrage of punches dealt by Gai was enough to end the fight. Kisame was on the brink of death, and using his sword Samehada, he killed himself since he refused to be imprisoned.

"Mission… complete," said Gai before he passed out.

"Gai-sensei!" yelled Lee as he went to pick up his teacher.

Neji was still holding on to TenTen, unaware that his hold was now around her waist. TenTen coughed hesitantly.

"Um, Neji? You can let go now," said TenTen with a small blush.

The faintest pink dusted the Hyuuga prodigy's cheeks as he realized his hold on the kunoichi was rather intimate. He quickly let the weapons mistress go, and the Konoha shinobi began their trek back to their village.

Unbeknownst to them, a pair of onyx eyes were following their movements. The well hidden man watched the Konoha nin intently, and was mildly impressed that the team was able to take care of such a dangerous S-Class criminal.

"The time is coming quicker than I expected," said the man.

He disappeared further into the forest, leaving no trace of him even being there to begin with.

Somewhere near Earth Country, Yakuushi Kabuto was walking through one of Orochimaru's many hideouts. The snake sannin decided that their group would stay at this particular base for a while before moving on to the next one. The gray haired man walked into Orochimaru's semi-dark room to check on him.

"How is Sasuke?" asked Orochimaru as he looked at his bespectacled right hand man.

"Everything is fine with Uchiha, Orochimaru-sama," replied Kabuto as he fixed his glasses.

"Excellent. I will be ready to transfer bodies soon, and the Sharingan will finally be mine!" exclaimed Orochimaru. His golden snake like eyes glowed in the dim light as he smiled maniacally.

After getting Gai to Konoha Hospital and handing in their mission report, Neji and TenTen were walking through the village side by side. The weapons mistress couldn't understand why her stomach was feeling funny. Being alone with Neji couldn't be the case right? Shaking it off as eating some weird plants during the mission, TenTen ignored the fluttering of her stomach.

Neji was trying his hardest to concentrate on walking while keeping his hands to himself. He still felt embarrassed about the way he held TenTen during the mission, but it felt so right. It was like TenTen was made to be by his side, and damn it he couldn't deny himself the pleasure of having her much longer! The Hyuuga prodigy knew he had to tell her how he felt, but as everyone in the Konoha 11 knew, he was a man of very few words. Neji knew he had to think of something though; it wasn't like he could just bludgeon her over the head with a rock and drag her away. Though that image did bring a smirk to his pale lips…

"Hello? Earth to Neji!" said TenTen.

Blinking his silvery eyes owlishly, he looked at the woman walking next to him.

"Jeez, what is it with you zoning out whenever we walk?" asked TenTen. "Am I boring or something?"

"No, no," said Neji quickly. Great, now how could he fix this without giving anything away?

TenTen stared at her best friend expectantly. Was he getting sick or something?

"I was just thinking," said Neji.

"About…?" prodded TenTen.

"You know what? I'm hungry, let's go eat," said Neji quickly and began walking toward one of the many restaurants in the village.

"What… hey! No fair Neji!" said TenTen as she chased after the brunet. "You didn't answer my question!"

The Hyuuga prodigy only smirked as he continued walking.

Meanwhile, in the unforgiving deserts that marked Wind Country, a red haired young man was standing atop one of the walls separating Sunagakure no Sato from the harsh sandstorms raging mere meters away. Sabaku no Gaara, Godaime Kazekage, allowed a rare small smile to form on his lips as the wind swept through is hair, revealing his kanji tattoo of the word 'love'. Jade eyes stared out into the desert, seeing sand as far as the eye could see. Turning around, he looked at the village he was chosen to lead. It was such an unexpected turn of events, especially after everything that happened with the Chuunin Exams a few years back. It wasn't an unwelcome change by any means, but sometimes the redhead wondered if this was all a dream. Looking up at the full moon shining down on his village, Gaara was the epitome of calm and serene.

The peaceful atmosphere was shattered when an explosion came from within the village.

Morning dawned on Konoha as it did everyday, and TenTen welcome the sunshine with open arms. After getting ready for the day and eating a quick breakfast, the kunoichi was heading out the door when an ANBU stopped her.

"Hokage-sama has requested your presence," said the rat-masked ANBU.

After he disappeared in a puff of smoke, TenTen made her way to Hokage Tower.

Neji was in Tsunade's office with the usual stoic calm. Lee was in the room as well, as hyper as ever. The door to the office opened and Neji's eyes immediately took in TenTen's form once she was fully inside the room. Such beauty was so hard to find…

"Hyuuga?" called out Tsunade.

Neji's eyes snapped to the Hokage's honey colored ones. He coughed lightly and tried to hide a blush.

"Now, I've called the three of you here as reinforcements," said Tsunade. "Team Kakashi is already in Suna and they've requested backup."

"Suna?" queried TenTen. "What's going on Tsunade-sama?"

"Kazekage Gaara was kidnapped last night," said Tsunade.

"B-But that's impossible!" exclaimed TenTen. "G-Gaara can't! He's…"

The brunette's voice wavered as she thought of the redhead. He couldn't be, he just couldn't!

After getting herself under control, and beginning her journey to Suna with her teammates, TenTen's eyes hardened as the events from a few minutes ago went through her mind again.

"_Some of the eye witnesses said that a man that made clay explosives was fighting Gaara," said Tsunade. "According to their intel, his name is Deidara, a rogue nin from Iwagakure. They say he created a bomb large enough to destroy the entire village and Gaara used most of his chakra to create a shield to protect them all. With Gaara weakened, another rogue nin from Suna, Sasori of the Red Sand, poisoned Gaara. The two of them took off with Gaara on a flying clay bird."_

_Tsunade folded her hands on top of her desk and rested her chin upon them. She eyed the three of them as they took in the information._

"_Sending the three of you will be beneficial, especially Neji with his Byakugan," said Tsunade. "You three are to head to Suna and help Team Kakashi in any way possible. Is that clear?"_

"_Hai!" came the simultaneous response._

"_You are to leave immediately. Dismissed!"_

"TenTen, it will still take 3 days to get to Suna even at your current speed," said Neji.

"We don't have that much time!" yelled TenTen. "We need to save Gaara!"

Even though this was a dire situation, Neji couldn't help the bout of jealousy he felt. Why was Gaara so important to her anyway?

"Why are you in such a rush TenTen?" asked Lee. "Your youth is shining brightly, but this is unusual for you."

TenTen glared at her bushy-browed teammate, and Lee flinched. Her chocolate colored eyes softened as she realized what she was doing.

"Sorry Lee," said TenTen with a sigh. "It's just that… during the three years I was gone, I spent most of my time in Suna training with Temari. Gaara helped from time to time, and we became friends.

"It was hard to get Gaara to talk to me at first," said TenTen with a nostalgic smile. "He's so introverted, but I eventually got him to open up to me a little. He's actually a really good person and he helped me out with my long range training a lot. I owe him so much."

Lee and Neji saw that the smile never left TenTen's face, and it made Neji's jealousy grow. Did she harbor feelings for Gaara?

"You think very highly of him TenTen," said Lee. "Are there possible romantic feelings between the two of you?"

TenTen laughed. _Hard_.

"Are you kidding?" said TenTen after getting her laughter under control. "Gaara and Matsuri are together, didn't you know that? Gaara's just a little brother to me, like Naruto is."

Neji's jealousy subsided after that comment. Even though he wasn't sure if TenTen had affections for him, the Hyuuga prodigy felt safe in the knowledge that the brunette wasn't in love with someone else.

Two days later, the Team Gai trio arrived in Sunagakure. Sakura looked rather haggard even though she was glad to see her three friends.

"Sakura, what's going on?" asked TenTen.

"Kankurou was poisoned," said Sakura. "He tried to go after the kidnappers alone. It was a fatal dosage, and if I hadn't arrived in time and created an antidote, he would've died."

"So we have to be careful around the Suna nukenin," concluded Neji.

"Exactly," said the pinkette.

"Stubborn bastard," said Temari angrily as she burst through the door. "I told Kankurou not to go alone! That idiot!"

"Temari-chan," called TenTen with worried eyes.

Teal eyes looked up and saw her closest friend.

"TenTen! You're here to help too? That's great," sighed Temari. "We need all the help we can get. Especially with Kankurou out."

"Has there been any leads on where they could be?" asked Neji.

"No," replied Temari. "We've had multiple search parties sent out, and there hasn't been a single clue as to where they're hiding."

Kakashi and an angry looking Naruto walked into the room with the other five shinobi.

"Naruto?" asked TenTen warily.

Blue eyes met her brown ones, and she saw that his eyes were darkened and had slits for pupils. That definitely wasn't a good sign as she learned in the past.

"Nee-chan," greeted Naruto with a slight growl to his voice.

The weapons mistress could've sworn his eyes flashed red, but she hoped it was just her imagination. Apparently Naruto was just as upset, if not more, about the situation.

As the group of ninja sat in the room trying to figure out their next move, the door burst open.

"Temari-sama! A report from one of the search parties arrived!" yelled a female Chuunin.

"Well, don't just stand there, tell me!" snapped Temari.

"Y-Yes! Matsuri's team believes they may have found the kidnappers' hideout!" she said.

"What's their location?" asked Temari quickly.

"About 8 hours north-northwest," answered the Chuunin.

Temari turned to the other occupants of the room with determination shining in her teal eyes. They all nodded simultaneously.

Time to rescue Gaara.

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**Alright, if my Naruto Shippuuden chronology is correct, Gaara's kidnapping happened before the Kisame/Gai fight. I forget. Anyhoo, if it is out of order, it's like that on purpose. Remember, this is an AU canon thingy. Asa Kujaku is the Japanese name of Gai's Morning Peacock attack and Iwagakure is the Hidden Stone Village for those who didn't know. This feels like a crappy chapter to me, but I hope you all enjoyed it. Drop a review letting me know. I promise to reply this time. See you next update (which hopefully won't take as long as this one).**

**KuroiOokami89**


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